Rethinking Political Representation in Times of Crisis

Facing deep economic and social inequalities, globalization, and digitization, established democratic parties in Europe, North and South America are experiencing a process of erosion and are therefore not able to represent their voters. In contrast, right-wing populists and extremists are getting more and more attention and success in the ballot despite of their weak political programs. This is the case for many countries, among others Germany, France, Italy, Poland, USA, and Brazil. In this situation, political representation as a whole, as acting for” and as “standing for”, is radically challenged. The paper will explore significant changes in the symbolic dimension of representation in populist and right-wing movements.